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Show 1 Bo 10: ..." r-N'-' m m e iTi c a I BB1 1 ltKw5f5 BBBI j OHly0i?;ry 0(c Ca&s Affiled with the American Association Have I l LNearly One Thousand Active Players Registered and 5,000 Ponies m Sjr" - Participating. B M " -- ... - IBB? T jt, i V . , . ,, , Au ; B 9' ' I . t- f ... I BBM I ( t ' l 7 " '" " II J V -'' ' "" s&.-' '& i ii ga I - j- - i1 Hg BY HARRY H. HOLMES. " f Iffl fCWpjrlcht. 1011. hj- bo New York Herald Co. All rljtbts rwrrwl.l F" OR a sport or game tliat was popular as far ack as COO B. C. it is most surprising that such a gencnil lack of knowledge exists In re-B re-B pard to polo, a game certainly deserving of the IV interest and enthusiasm of the public, for It Is R wildly exciting and full of hair raising Incidents from H itart to finish. Wl 0nc explanation for this condition is that the ma- Hw yority of the people who nre unable, financially or H otherwise, to actively participate in the game fool BB that they are not welcome to visit the various country H ind polo clubs, with the exception of the Point Judith W ; Polo Club, at Narragansctt Pier, where admit tnncc is SUt charged to witness the games and matches, and at Van S Cortlandt Park, where two polo fields are maintained K on condition that there shall be played three matches B each week during the season, Mny to September,' B for the benefit of the public that takes advantage of Hr .his most beautiful and accessible park. In addition m to this, the public hus very little encouragement given W& It, although one or two of the polo clubs occasionally 3nd an excuse to charge admission, when fairly large Srrowds take advantage of the "pay, pay, pay," and ire usually most enthusiastic At Bala, Philadelphia, for instance, It is not unusual yfflk vo i-ce an atteudance of twenty thousand persons when jf t he committee advertises important games. 1R There is ample evidence that the game was first gtfX played in Persia the year of GOO B C, but omitting JK tne ancient history phase of the game we find that It ??M i nrat played In England in 1S71. though popular -Zc mm mmmsfoMw Photo CcpTlcht 55wPlv"'? Mr. Alex. BroWn, Captain of Bryn Mawr Tc; Forward Shu While in P i iJf j : -" - , ' P6' , ' i '- V '- v ) . -or Hugh Grosv & i "MM:W0$ 'mim A Lcft Sidc f' " :::-:r:j:-'-;'t ytesS-" 191 j. by c j. rqj i Mt. J. M Waterbury, Jr., Hitting Under His' Pony's Neck While at Full l Gallop in Play Considered a Difficult and Dangerous Shot. tn India some ten or twelve years previous to that. J Teams representing the Tenth Hussars and the Ninth R j Lancers bad the honor at Hounslow Heath to play tho ml first match in England. Five years later it was in- R. troduced into this country by James Gordon Dennett. Pf A review of the names of the players who assisted .Mr &f Bennett in the early stages of the game is iuterest- -jM! jig. They vcre Lord Mandevillc. Sir Itnchc Cunard, jfrt ,, Colonel William Jay, Messrs S S. Howland. nermann jf ; Oelrichs, Frederick Bronson, Fairman Rogers, G. It. f r Fearing, Hollls Hnnnewell. John Mott. W. K. Thorn, 'JS J. G. Griswold and'W. P. Douglas. $3- m A Match Thirty Years Ago. I?' ij '1 The Dlckel Itkllng Academy was the scene of the yj Srst practice matches prior to Mr Bennett's building j 1 bis own privQte field near Jerome Park, Ford ham. O t Later on these players organized the We-stchester gjf j Polo Club at Newport, and about the same time Mr. iinFr H. L. Herbert, the present chairman of the American j Polo Aosoclatlon, with Messrs. W. W. Boblns. C A. SXj Robins, Howard Stokes, n. J Montague, G. XV. Eider, jjjjlfc Arthur Sewell, Adolf Lndenburg and Captain Giier- 00 ton started the New Brighton Polo Club at Long fj?jt Branch. Other clubs organized In quick Aucces-sion 4 were tbc Buffalo Country Club and the Queens Conn- fx' try 01u' nK Island, August Belmont being the 40; guiding and initiative s-plrlt of the latter. The Narra- R gansett Gun Club, through the enthusiasm of Mr. Ben- jfo t nott, also took up the game, Messrs. Pierre Lorillard. jR E. W. Davis and Carroll Bryce giving him their t support. 5 1 Two of tho first Important matches ever played Sg- wero responsible for such comparatively huge at- JftjJ tendances as five thousand and ten thousand persons. iQI;1 Dho smaller number nttendetl a club game between yH ' Imembers of the Now Brighton Polo Club, while the Iffi ! irst match between clubs drew the larger attendance. S U'bia took Dlaco June 2JL 1870, In Pioapect Park. Brooklyn, between the Westchester uuil Queenu Country Coun-try clubs. The llue-up on this i ccasion wuh: Westchester Country Club. Queens Country Club. Iliirry Oelrichs, V Guiy Griswold, August Belmont, Hermann Oelrichs-, r-irnjll Br j ce. F T. I-elln, W. C. Fan ford. Pierre Lorillard. ILL. Herbert. Center Hitchcock. The Westchester loam was successful. In 1SS0 the Manhattan Polo Club, with headquarters at Sixth ncmn and 110th street, was organized, but It lasted only a few seasons At about this time the Meadow Brook nnd Hockaway Country club were coming to tho fore, Messrs August Bi'Imonl, Thomas Hitchcock. Fothnll P. Keeno and II L. Herbert being just as active then as they are to day Mr. Jnmej M. Waterbury, father of Messrs. "Larry" and "Monte" Waterbury, was also a prominent figure nt these clubs. In 1SS," Harvard College put a team In the field, composed com-posed of .Messrs Raymond Belmont, Egerton AVln-throp, AVln-throp, Oliver Bird and Amos French. The following year the flr-t Intnrnatlonal match was held at Newport between Englund and the United States. The line-up was. America. Englnnd. T. Hitchcock, John AVnison, W. K. Thorn. The Hou. R. Luwlcy, Raymond Belmont, T. Hone. Foxhall ICeeue. Malcolm Little. Messrs. E. C Wlnthrop and S. II. Robins umpired the game The result ten goals to four in fnvor of Euglund was due to superior team work on the part of the Englishmen. From that lime the game of polo progressed by leaps and bounds. Clubs were established all over the country. Myopia and Dcdlium at Boston and the Philadelphia Country Club bet the pace in the East. St. Louis. Chicago and Denver following their example In tho Middle West, while the Southeiu California Poio iT'-'rw-VL-' -- tv'? : 'yr- -v,'Msy' i . .ssly's'iiriwv . '.: :fMM Y &M :nor Making a Difficult Shot 1 Under the Pony Shot lyricht, 1911, by C. J. Roto. Club was organized at Sunta Monica and the Burlln-gnmo Burlln-gnmo Polo Club In the northern part of that State. At this perlrd of the game the American Polo Association As-sociation was organised. The members of the committee com-mittee were Mr II. L. Herbert, chairman, n position of honor which he still occupies; Mr. John C. Cowdln, one of the best players this season; Messrs. 01l'r W. Bird. Douglas Robinson and 12 C. Potter. The rules, regulations and by-laws adopted by this a.s.soclatlon have met with such approval from all adheicuts of the sport that It Is now occupying the same position toward polo as the Jockey Club does toward rnclng. Two years previous to the formation of this association associa-tion a system of handicapping tln Individual playeis was found necessary, nnd Mr. II. L. Herbert was Invited In-vited by the players to act as handienpper, a position he occupied to great advantage for a number of seasons sea-sons when the giowth of tho game necessitated a committee to properly fulfil the duties of this most Important olice. The clubs ailillatcd with the American Polo Association Asso-ciation have registered nearly one thou-and active players, and it is estimated that there are more than five ihousuml polo iwnles participating, the.se being distributed among forty or more eluba which have ijworn nlleglance to the association. Eight Man Team Reduced. The game was first played with eight men on a side, but it was soon found advisable to limit the number of playeis to iivc on each team, owing to the ocrlm-maglng ocrlm-maglng that resulted from such a number of men being on the field. In 1SS1 this was reduced to four, nnd up to this season a quartet of player has been found the most advantageous number of men to represent rep-resent a team, atfd there docs not seom to be any possibility that this formation will ever be altered, as it has proved Ideal in every way. ' Tho regulation field, according to tho laws 'aid down by the governing bodies of polo for all countries 'beie the game is played, is 000 feet long and 4,"0 feet wide, with ten-Inch side boards running tho length of the field. The goal posts must be twenty-four twenty-four feet npart. Polo fields are almost Invariably grass, but for several reasons, principally climatic and pometlmes financial, It la found possible to play only on dirt grounds. The players In the United States are also fortunato enough in most Instances to bo able to ride on grass fields. Obviously It Is economical for clubs to provide dirt grounds, as the dally watering and rolling of a turf field is nn Item that runs Into hundreds of dollars every month. In addition to this It Ls necessary to employ at least a do.en men to tamp the ground and ixpiate scd after each came whkh have been cut up by the ponies. The main objection to a dirt field U that It Is so dusty that it becomes objectionable to players and onlookers. The most simple explanation of the game of polo la that It Is hockey or shlnney on -horseback; In fact, during dur-ing the first fev years of the game hockey sticks were used, but these have been replaced by polo mallets. MS& - Mr. Foxhall Kcenc Hitting a Left Side Backhander. tidMfr&t'wWfikW SjT y V&Ssifi 1 Fhotobyej.Ro,,. HRiM?2JK&SSES fgMsMkd Bibitoi?- v ' A s -' 1 : ' H l?M?$&&J$$Z8& r' ' ' 'f?4S sIl Meadow Brook Pony "Flora," Used in 1909 H MmMSW YJbL Match, and Trainer L. J. Fitzpatrick. S&SPZ ' tt vi - Pnoto by C J. Ro3S. im, Hitting a Left Sidc 'vf&?iP c x Earl of Rocksavage Hitting a Right Side Forward. "V CAviv W' Pboto Copyriabt, 1911, by C J. Ross. The latter vary from forty-eight to fifty-six inches in length, with various heads, known as round, squaie or cigar shaped, the cane lilting into about the middle of the head Actual playing time Is one hour, divided Into eight periods of seven and one-half minuter . will, Intel vais of three minutes between pcilods except ex-cept half time, when seven minutes Ls allowed Players Play-ers Invariably have at least four r""l-s each to ride during a game, so no pony Is asked to plaj more than two periods, or fifteen minutes-altogether. Naturally a game that Is played with such speed and dash Is a little dangerous, but it is not nearly so much so as the ordinary onlooker believes. If the referee ref-eree enforces the rules the danger ls reduced to a minimum. min-imum. Very few serious accidents result, however. In the hundreds of games each season. The penalties Imposed by the umpire arc half a goal for dangerous or reckless tiding, such as crossing or riding Into a player In possession of tho ball nt a dangerous iuigk this Is called a foul and one-qnartcr goal if one of the defending side lilts behind his own goal post.", known as a "safety." The ball Is usually made of bnsswood, weighs five ounces and Is a shade more than (luce inches In dlamctr. The difference between the English and American rules la that undei the former's conditions a player Is not allowed to hit the ball or Interfere In any way when oft side: that Is. he must have one opponent between be-tween him and the goal he Is stthlng for. The only other material difference Is that In England when a side Is penalled the opposite team Is given a free hit. This year, however, the English polo authorities hae suspended the off-,ldc rule so as to give BritLsh polo-Ists polo-Ists nn opportunity to become used to the Ameileaa game, with a view to regaining the great international trophy. In discussing the kind of pony that is used we arrive at the most Important element that enters Into this most thillllng game. "Xo man Is better than his Kny" H certalnlv true of polo During the first few eais of polo In Englnnd nnd the States players used thirteen hand ponies, but as the game progressed It whs found advisable to raise the standard of height, with the result that for ten yenrs the height of ponies eligible to play has been established by the polo authorities at 14V6 hands. The cost of n good pony varies according to the class of polo for which he Is desired. Cost of Ponies. Where players are not ambitious to enter Into tournaments tour-naments or niau lies with other teams, ponies that will give Just as much plensurc as a first class pony can be purchased for $1K0 to $200. He may require a certain ninount of "finishing" or "schooling." but a horseman will find a great amount of satisfaction In training his own ponies. Going to the other extieme we find Unit first class ponies cost from ?1.000 to S2..-.00. although more than $y,000 has been paid for exceptlonallv brlllhiut mounts. No one will dispute the fact that English bred ponies are the best In the world. While it is possible that the ponies bred In this country are. if properly developed nnd trained, equal to the product of the British Isles, It has not been demonstrated yet. although al-though thine arc a number that have taken high honors on the polo fields of Englnnd It must be admitted, ad-mitted, however, that this has been largely due to the exceptional nblllty of the players that they have become be-come famous. In this connection Mr. Foxhall Keene, nbovo all others, must be given credit for the fume Hint has come to I he comparatively small number of American bred ponies There ls no renhon why this country's ponies should not be as good as English bind ponies. The sunk, the quality and quantity ls heie, but It has iiiji ,,'KPWi;:iTi ' ' '""IJML v not been dpv'eloped for (his particular purpose. It hs, H been found necessary in other countries to breed syi H tcmatlcally to produce polo ponies. Ju&t as breeders" Ii H running, trotting or show horses do to get wlnnen H in their various spheres of competition. H Average American ponies in companion with Eng H llsli bred ponies arc deficient In stamlmu substance H nnd disposition, for lliee reasons. Ninety per cenl H of the ponies seen on the polo fields are range bred o fM jow ponies, which have been Indiscriminately brcl IH mid almost without exception have been allowed U IH forage for themselves; In fact, almost starve for th( jH first three or four years of their existence, thus stunt H ing their growth and pi eventing the natural acenmu JH lation of bone and sinew, consequently causing a do jH ficlcncy in stamina or staying power. H While a pony may be able to go all day long at slo H sped, it Is no criterion that ho will last through i H period of seven nnd n half minutes at top speed under H the strain of stopping and turning every few seconds. H Any breed of ony can be utilized for polo if he has M the disposition nnd temperament to wltlustnud the H hardships of the game, the substance to carry a fairly M heavy man and the speed that is so necessary In Mill jl advanced stage of the sport. One quality tint Is ab 1 solutely necessary In :i pony ls disposition or tempera M ment. and'in this one partlcuu.r a. largo proportion ol jH "likely playing ponies" or "good material" pnes to lH waste In this country, and It is almost invariably due IH to the "get playing quick" methods of their t-?Jners. jH In Er-lind ponies go through n systematic course ol M training that coveis a period of two years; here it Is M not unusual to see a pony put right Into a game with- M out anv preliminary preparation, although the ma- B Jnrlty go through a schooling process of about three H The States, nevertheless, can lay claim to the most m successful trainer of polo ponies In Larry Fitzpatrick, 1 the manager of Mr. Ml. P. Whitney's stable. During H the -eason of 1009. when the lattcr's team regained H the America Cup. the polo critics of both countries m were unanimous In their praise of the way in whict H the mounts of the Meadow Brook were prepared and H turned out for those history making games at tin H lluiliii"ham Club, London. Tho training of the "rav H product" is the most important factor In the ma- H icrlnllsntlnn of the perfect playing pony. No matter H w hat qualities the "equine aspirant" may have, he can H be ruined by a lack of patlcuce. sheer brutality or H "overnlavlng a good thing " H The came never received such another Impetus as m when Mr n. V. Whitney, with the assistance of m Messrs Devereux Mllburn nnd Larry and Monte H Waterbury, regained the America Cup in 1D09 from m England. This trophy was captured by the latter H countrv twenty-three years previously, and had stayed H there without any likelihood of ever return tig. ; so sii- H nerlor nnd supreme seemed the English exhibition of H the gnme To the surprise of everybody concerned JH the Meadow Brook "foui" easily won the cup and sue- H cessfullv defended a challenge for the same this year H bv a team representing the pick of England nnd com- H posed qntlrelv of soldiers. Olllcers of the British army jH are the backbone of polo in England, but a contrary H condition exists here, little encouragement being given H Uncle Sam's olllcers to play. M The King of England was a most enthusiastic plnyci H Years ago and is still much interested in the sport, pre- H sentlng the America Cup to the Meadow Brook team H after their triumph at llurllngliam in 1009. B $40,000 Raised for Team H Forty thousand dollars was subscribed by English H polo enthusiasts to mount the English team that at- M tempted lo regain that trophy, but tho total valuation H of the thirty-five ponies that were sent across the At- M laiillc for this purpose was almost tw ice that amount. M It was the genetal impression that the members of M the winning lutei national team weie a phenomenal M quartet of players, nnd that when one or two of them jH dropped out of the game it would be an easy matter H for British players to recapture this trophy Nothing H Is further from the tmth when there nre playing to- M day such men as Messrs. Louis E Stoddard, of Now H Haven; Malcolm Stevenson, of .Meadow Brook. L. 1.. H and Joshua Crane, of Dedham. Mass., scarcely in- B ferior to ajiy of the above mentioned players. Of tho H vounger nqpirants for polo honors that show promise H of developing Into good material for International B pluv can be mentioned Messrs. Hanison Tweed and BBJ Adelbert Ames Jr., of the Myopia Hunt Club. Bos- BBJ ton: C C Kumsey. of Meadow Brook, and J. f'hecv:r BBJ Cow din. of the Hockaway Hunt Club H Other prominent players held high In the handicap BBBI and plnvlng to their form aie Messrs. ItCnio La'Mon- BBBJ tagne aiid J. A. ItawUus. of the ltoekawny Iluut Club: BBBJ II C. Phlpps. J. A Burden. J. S. Phlpiw. F S. Von BBH Stndc and C. P Beadleston. of Hie Meadow B:ook IBH Hunt Club. It. E Strawbiidge. Alex Brown. H. W. BBBJ Harrison, W. II T Iluiui. M. G Itoscngnrten. C. H. IBH Snovvdcn nnd Charles Wheeler, of Philadelphia; F. S. BB Butterworth and J B Thomas, of the New Haven BB Polo Club. In the Middle West are also such high BBBJ class pin vers as Messrs. S II Velio. T A. Velle and BBBJ L. N Jraglll. of Iviiusns 1'il.v. In C.iIIfoinia Messrs. BBBJ T. J Drlscoll, Walter S. Ilobait. John Lawson. all qf BBBJ Burllngnmc; Mnjor Collu O. Boss, of the Coionado. BBBI Couutry Club; Messrs. Tom Wel-s. Harry Welsy. B. flBVI Weiss and Carleton Burke, of the Pasadena Polo Club. BBBI All these plavers have made and nre making the sport BBBI of polo In .Vnierlcn equal If not superior lo that In BftBB any part of the world BVBV Probablv the best and most ambitious tournament BBVJ In the world takes place annually at the Point Judith BBBI Polo Club. Nnrrnpmsett Pier All the best American BBBI players partlclpato and at least two first class Eng- llsh teams will ngaln visit the chib this .venr. Tljo BBH senior and junior championships will be decided tln;re. H and Bnnelagh, tlic foremost polo club In England, wU flBBJ send 11 team to defend the championship eup. a tropliy BBBI its representatives won last venr and took to Eng-j flBI , m. " MpigHBsiBwiBBHBMBBBBBBBBBBI |